Billiard table leveling apparatus



E. H. ACLAND BILLIARD TABLE `LEVELING APPARATUS Feb. 3, 1.953

Filed Feb. 17, 195o Patented Feb. 3, 1953 BILLIARD TABLE LEVELINGAPPARATUS- Edward Headley Acland, Montreal, Quebec, Canp ada, assignorto Burroughes & Watts (Canada) Limited, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaApplication February 17, 1950, Serial No. 144,775 In Canada December 22,1949 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in billiard tables or the likeparticularly billiard tables of the type supported on legs or pedestalsat the end only without the use of intermediate legs.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a table, the playingsurface of which can be more `accurately and easily levelled thanprevious table constructions without the use of jacks, shims or othersuch auxiliary equipment.

A further and very important object is to provide for accurate levellingof a table supported solely on end legs or pedestals while maintainingthe slate bed forming the playing surface solidly supported in anycondition of level, eliminating the necessity of using shims or the likebeneath the slate bed which cause sagging of and damage to the slate andprovide a hollow sound to the playing surface.

A further important object is to provide for levelling of the tablesurface upon either shrinkage, expansion or sagging of the table sidesor warping of the slate bed and to provide for levelling any section ofthe playing surface without disturbing the level of the remainder of thetable.

Still another object is to provide for locking of the playing surface inlevel.

The principal feature of the invention resides in supporting the playingsurface on longitudinal rails adjustable relative the table sides in amanner to permit compensation for all factors affecting the level of thetable to permit the playing surface to be maintained level while solidlysupported throughout the length of the table.

A further important feature resides in anchoring the playing surfacesupporting rails at the ends to the table sides whereby the rails arefixed at the ends but free to flex between the ends and providing theadjusting or levelling means as screw-threaded means to engage the railsbetween the fixed ends to operate the rails in ilexure at any sectionrelative the table sides to provide the levelling action.

A still `further feature consists in providing means for lockingsections of the playing surface carrying rails in any position ofilexure to prevent movement of the playing surface When levelled andalso to permit flexing of adjacent rail sections in the operation oflevelling the playing surface without disturbing the ilexure of thelocked section.

In one embodiment of my inventionY still another feature is in formingthe side members of the table as longitudinal angle members to extendbetween the end-supporting pedestals and 2 l operating the playingsurface carrying rails which are anchored at the ends to the anglemembers by adjusting screws operating through the flange of the anglemembers. e

The above and other objects and features of my invention will becomeapparent from the following description with respect to the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a billiard t-ableconstructed in accordance with this invention with a portion of theplaying surface broken away to disclose the supporting meanstherebeneath.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the table of Figurel.

Figure 3 is a side elevational view of a portion of the end of the tableof Figure 1 with the cushion rail removed.

Figure 4 is a very much enlarged fragmentary vertical sectiontransversely through the table side frame member with the cushion railremoved and showing the manner in which the slate bed is supported foradjustment relative the table side member on a longitudinal rail.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view on an enlarged scale ofa billiard table constructed in accordance with another embodiment of myinvention, the cushion rail being removed and the table side partlybroken away for clarity.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical section on theline 6 6 of Figure 5.

The playing surface on billiard tables of large dimensions in which theslate bed is of necessity very thick and heavy frequently gets out oflevel through several causes including uneven settling of the floor onwhich the table is erected, shrinkage, expansion or sagging of the sideand other members of the table which directly sup port the playingsurface and in some instances warping and sagging of the slate slabsthem-v selves. Such faults have in the past been corrected in tableswith more than four corne-r legs by lifting the low sections of the sidemembers of the table frame by means of a jack and raising the nearestleg to the low section by means of a wood shim or shims placed betweenthe leg and the floor.

In tables with only four corner legs or sup ported near the ends bypedestals,V the levelling of the playing surface or slate bed uponsagging of the playing area can only be `done by shims or other meansbetween the top of the table sides and the underside of the slate bed.In previous tables of this type supported solely at the ends withoutintermediate legs, partcularly where the tables are large, the use ofshims between the table sides and slate bed has been the accepted meansof levelling. Such a method of levelling provides serious disadvantages.The slate slabs do not in themselves rest entirely and directly on thetable frame and the balls rolling on the table give a hollow sound whichis highly undesirable.

Furthermore, the slate itself is liable to eventually sag between thepoints of support so that in time levelling through the entirety of thetable is impossible.

The present invention overcomes all of the above disadvantages bypermitting accurate levelling with facility and without the use ofshims, jacks or the like, while at the same time maintaining the slatebed solidly supported throughout the length of the table.

While I am aware that various attempts have been made to provide screwadjustment for levelling table sections, such previous attempts havefallen far short of a satisfactory means for the complete levelling ofthe table provided for in my invention, as will be hereinafterunderstood.

With reference to Figures 1 to fi, a billiard table comprising anembodiment of my invention includes the spaced longitudinal side framemembers I in the form of channels spanning between theV end pedestals 2and rigidly vSecured thereto.

Arranged Within the channels of the side frame members I arelongitudinal rails 3 secured at the ends to the frame members by thebolts 4 which also serve to secure the frame cross members 5. The rails3, which carry the load of the slate bed made up of the slate sections 5as will be'hereinafter understood, thus are rigidly fixed at the endsbut are free to ne); between the ends and therefore comprise fiexureelements.

Operating through the lower flanges l of the channel frame members I atspaced intervals, preferably corresponding to the lines of abutment ofthe slate sections 6, are adjusting bolts 8 which engage against thebearing insert strip 9 in the bottom surface of the rails 3 as shown inFigure 4. The rails 3 can thus be ilexed between their xed ends by thebolts 8 Which can be locked in position by the lock nuts IB.

Operating through slots II in the webs of the channel frame members Iare lock bolts I2 anchored to vthe rails 3, and by tightening these lockbolts I2 the adjacent sections of the rails 3 i can be locked in adesired position of iiexure against accidental movement and againstmovement while 4adjacent rail sections are being adjusted in flexure bythe adjusting bolts in a table levelling operation.

The load of the slate bed 6 is transferred to the longitudinal rails 3by the slate-engaging longitudinal rails I3 and transverse rails Iwhich'form, together with the rails 3, 'a iiexible slate-supportingframe or section carried by the rigid fixed longitudinal side framemembers I.

The slate-engaging rails I3 are anchored to the rails 3 by bolts I5 andextend above the upper surfaces of the frame members I. 'The transverserails or supports I4 engaging the slate bed are tongued into the railsI3 by the tongues I6 and are additionally anchored thereto by bolts ilengaging through the rails I3 and bolt blocks i8 which arer anchored tothe sides of the rails lli.

These transverse rails I4, as shown in Figure l, are arranged tounderlie the lines of abutment or joints between the slateA sections 6.

Closing the sides of the table and forming the cushions I9 are thecushion railsZil, seen particularly in Figure 2. i

It will be appreciated that under any sagging of the frame members I,which in a large table must thoroughly support an extremely heavy loadin the slate secti ons 6 over a considerable span between the pedestals2, the longitudinal rails 3 can be flexed to move upwardly complementaryto and in compensation for the sagging to maintain the table surfacelevel. Thiscan be accomplished independent of where sagging occurs andby clamping the sections of the rails 3, which need to be maintainedagainst movement, by the lock bolts I2, the adjacent sections of therails 3 can be flexed to conform that section of the slate which is outof trueness with the remainder of the `slate bed back into level.

With the screw arrangements provided by the adjusting bolts 8 thislevelling vaction can be precise and easily accomplished and oncelevelled the rails i, can be permanently anchored until new'conditionsarise requiring further levelling.

It is extremely important to note that during all levelling operationsthe slate bed is supported solidly throughout the length of the tableand transversely at adjoining slate sections by the siate-engaging railsI3 and Iii carried by the rails S.

Thus the playing surface of the table will be solid, eliminating thehollow sounding where shims are used, and the slate sections or slabsthemselves Will be prevented from sagging to dish formations.

In the levelling operation the principle of fiexure employed by xing therails 3 at the ends is important as it gives a more rened and accuratecontrol of the levelling operation and permits the levelling of thetable to be referred to i'ixed points. It also permits the exactcomplementary shape of the side members of the table under sagging to beobtained so that a precisely level surface for any condition of sag canbe obtained and can be obtained quickly and easily with the aid only ofa means for determining the level of the table.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 5 and 6 the sideframe members cf the table constitute the rails 2| supported edgewise onthe pedestals 2. The rails 2i have secured thereto the brackets 22 whichmay comprise either a continuous bracket or plurality of spacedbrackets, and in the illustration shown in Figure 6 the brackets orbracket rail are T-shaped angle members and support the adjusting bolts8' which operate against the longitudinal slate-carrying rails 3 to flexthese rails complementary to the sagging of the frame rails 2| betweentheir ends which are fixed to the rails ZI by bolts 23.

Again the locking feature of anchoring the rail sections'in any positionof iiexure is provided by means of the lock bolts I 2 carried by therails 3' guild operating in the Vslots Il of the frame rails Carried bythe rails 3 are additional loadsupporting longitudinal and transverseslateengaging rails 2d and 25 respectively which provide effectivesupportto the slate sections over extensive areas, and it will beunderstood that as before, regardless of the position to which the slatesections are moved relative the table sides, 'Zheywill be solidlysupported in the level posiion.

v will be understood and appreciated that various modications andalterationsV maybe made in the precise construction of the table withoutdeparting from the, spirit of this invention or scope of the appendedclaims. l

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a billiard table or the like, longitudinal xed side members,longitudinal flexure rails supported by and extending longitudinally ofsaid side frame members substantially from end-toend thereof, said railshaving their ends rigidly secured to the ends of said side frame membersagainst vertical movement and being free to hex between the endsthereof, a horizontal table bed continuously supported from said railsfrom endto-end of said bed, adjusting means supported by said framemembers and engaging said rails at spaced points intermediate of theends thereof to ilex said rails in a levelling operation, and meansintermediate the ends of said rails clamping said rails to said sidemembers in desired positions of fiexure.

2. In a billiard table or the like, longitudinal xed side frame members,a longitudinal flexure element carried by and extending substantiallyend-to-end of each of side frame members, said longitudinal flexureelements having their ends rigidly secured to the ends of said sideframe members against vertical movement and being free to flex betweentheir fixed ends, a table bed comprising a plurality of slate sectionsextending transversely between said side frame members and supported onsaid flexure elements, screw adjusting means carried by said framemembers and engaging the underside of said flexure elements at spacedpoints along their length to ex same upwardly of said frame members, andclamp means carried by said exure elements intermediate the ends thereofto clamp said exure elements to said side members in 35 desiredpositions of exure.

3. A device as claimed in claim 2 in which said side frame members arechannels and said ilexure elements comprise longitudinal lexure railslocated between the flanges of said channels and each carrying alongitudinal support rail on which said slate sections are received tocontinuously support said bed end-to-end of said channels.

4. In a billiard table or the like, end leg supporting means,longitudinal side members spanning between said end support means, alongitudinal bed-levelling flexure member supported by and extendingsubstantially from end-to-end of each of said side members, a table bedcomprising a plurality of slate sections extending transversely betweensaid side members and supported on said flexure members, said exuremembers being adapted to be ilexed to level said bed continuously fromend-to-end thereof and continuously from section-to-section upon any sagin said side members or flexure members under weight of said bed andhaving their ends rigidly secured against vertical movement underbedlevelling operation, and adjusting means supported by said sidemembers and engaging said flexure members at spaced points intermediatethe fixed ends thereof to flex said flexure members in a bed-levellingoperation.

EDWARD HEADLEY ACLAND.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Treiber June 4, 1929Number

